Dana Biosphere Reserve

View of the Dana Valley

The Dana Biosphere Reserve, founded in 1989, is the largest nature reserve in Jordan. It is a deep valley that leads to the Arava, the wadi that links the Dead Sea with the Red Sea and forms part of the Great Rift Valley. At the head of the valley lies the village of Dana, the starting point of visits, halfway between the cities of Tafila and Shawbak.

The Dana Reserve has about 320 square kilometers that extend between the plateau of Quadesiyya, at 1,500 meters of altitude, and the Aravá desert. The rocky of the stepped canyons that form the reserve comprises limestone, sandstone and granite.

Thanks to the situation of the valley, open to the Mediterranean, from where it obtains a certain humidity, and to the altitudinal difference, the four biogeographical zones that are present in Jordan, the Mediterranean, the Saharo-Arabian, the Iranian-Turkic and Sudanese. For this reason, the greatest biological diversity of the whole country is also found here. Flora and fauna

703 species of plants, 215 species of birds and 38 species of mammals have been counted in the reserve.

The most significant plants are black sabina, oak and acacia. It is the most southern area of ​​the world where the common cypress is found and there are at least three species of plants that are endemic and are only found here. Among the endangered animals are the Nubia ibex, the Syrian green grouse and the primitive kestrel in the reserve.

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